Process for treating petroleum emulsions



Patente'd June 29, 19 26.

UNITED STATES.

I PATENT oiu-uclrs.

mnnvm m onoo'rn, or sr. LOUIS, MIssounI, assrenon. r0 was. s. nanmcxan a COMPANY, OF WEBSTER GROVES, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OFYMISSOUBI.

raocnss'ron ranarmernraonnuia EMULSIONS.

no Drawing.

This invention relates to the treatment of emulsions of mineral oil and water, such as petroleum emulsions, for the purpose of separating the oil from the water.

Petroleum emulsions of the kind referred to are commonly known as cut oil,," roil'y oil and bottom settlings, and consist of oil constituting the continuous phase of the emulsion, droplets of water distributed throughout the body of oil and constituting the dispersed phase, and films of matter that encase the droplets of water. The conventional process for breaking such emulsions contemplates subjecting the emulsion to the action of a substance or to a compound which acts on the emulsion in such a manner that the water of the emulsion will separate from the oil when the emulsion is allowed to remain in a quiescent state at a suitable temperature after treatment.

In my pending application for Patent Serial No. 757,737, filed Dec; 23, 1924, I have described a process for treating emulsions of the character referred to that broad- 1y contemplates the employment of a class of materials, referred to as water-wettable substances or anti-water-proofing compounds, that are capable of attaching themselves to the walls of the fissures existing in the encasing films, and subsequently being wetted b the droplets of water surrounded by t e films, thereby resulting in said droplets of water escaping from the films and coalescing. It is apparent that such materials or substances can be formed in a number of ways, such asthe reaction of an oxide or hydrate with an acid as in the case of calcium oxide and oleic acid. Then too, the same compound could be formed by double decomposition, such as the action of sodium oleate withi'calcium chloride. The latter-method is not as convenient because the calcium oleate precipitates out as a curd. The resultant solution with the curdy precipitate could not be used conveniently in ordinary practice, because the solid material would be segregated or isolated in a small part of the liquid material. The rat1o or percentage of treating agent to emulsion could not be maintained uniformly by the usual mechanical devices. However, the

material could-be treated by any of the usual filtration and dehydration processes, and in Application area December 23, 1924. Serial no. 757,789. 1

such form would be substantially the same as a calcium oleate derived by reaction between calcium oxide and oleic acid.

On the other hand, there are certain subdivisions of this broad class of water-wettable substances and anti-water-proofing compounds which are distinguished from the class as a whole, in that the recipitate obtained by double decomposition does not curd out and is immediately suitable for use,

The object of my present invention is to make use of substances of the kind: just referred to in the treatment of petroleum ag nt I prefer to dissolve the water soluble salt of a petroleum sulphonic acid, or the alkali metal salt of a petroleum sulphoni acid, or the sodium salt of a. petroleum sulphonic acid, in water so as to give a solution a of ap roximately 5% strength, and then dilute t is solution with an equal volmneof Water containing suflicient calcium, magnesium or ferrous chloride or sulphate to react with the soluble etroleum sulphonic acid and have some of t e precipitating salt in'excess. A water insoluble precipitate is immediately formed comparable to the formation of calcium oleate, butit does not curd out. There is no segregation of the insoluble material from the watgr; it re-' mains suspegded in the solution similar to a water suspTx nsion of graphite as is'used for lubricating urposes, and the mass-may be permitted to stand several days before use without segregation.

The above described treating agent is used in the same manner as the agents now used to treat petroleum emulsions, namely, it is introduced into or mixed with the emulsion,

and thereafter, the emulsion is allowed to stand in a quiescent state, at a suitable temperature, so as to permit the water to' sepsion to the action of a water insoluble salt of arate from the oil. a. mineral sulphonated oil.-

Having thus described my invention, what 2. A process for treating petroleum emul- 10 I claim as new and desire to secure by Letsions, characterized by subjecting the emul- 5 ters Patent is: 1 V sion to the action of an alkaline earth salt 1 1. A rocess for treating petroleum emulof a. mineral sulphonated oil. sions, c aracterized by subjecting the emul- V MELVIN DE GROOTE'. 

